I've been using the Otterbox Impact Series case for my phone for a couple of months now, and I'd just like to say that it is absolutely amazing. I certainly recommend it.
I love the design, it is rather sleek, and encompasses the buttons nicely. It isn't very bulky, and fits in a pocket well. There's holes for all the ports, and the mic too. It has a lip, lifting the case off the screen a little bit to protect against front impacts. It has raised bumps for the buttons, making them very easy to press. It also came with a good screen protector.
The material is still in great condition, with only a little tear at the bottom right, which is surprising, considering what this has been through.
I've dropped this phone accidentally many, many, many times, and each time the case has protected the phone. I've dropped this phone screen first on to concrete from a height of about 5 - 6 ft, and it came out unscathed. I've even dropped it screen first into a small puddle, with no incident. It's withstood many impacts, which makes sense.
Not a single ill effect on the phone, no damaged lights, touchscreen works fine, and all the buttons work.
A friend of mine bought a hard shell for his Vivid, and had to replace it twice in four months because of how easily damaged it got. I've been using my case for about seven months now.
The only downside is that it can get stuck when pulling it out of a pocket, but a small trade for an amazing case.
All in all, this is an incredibly tough case, and a great one for the Vivid. Considering I only paid $10, I'm glad I bought this versus the Defender, which is 2 to 3 times more expensive. The great protection coupled with how light and compact it is made it more than worth it.
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Does the case-mate for the nexus s crack after a month? What is the best case for the nexus s? I am looking for one similar to a impact soft shell case...Thanks
aspirex said:
Does the case-mate for the nexus s crack after a month? What is the best case for the nexus s? I am looking for one similar to a impact soft shell case...Thanks
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I've had mine for about a month now, and its been holding up fine so far. But then again, I don't usually abuse my phone.
I've had mine since September and it's great, no issues.
Sent from my Nexus S using xda premium
i used to use a tpu case for mine but it kept triggering the bug report thing by pressing both volume keys and the power button whenever i woke up the phone. i stopped using it and realized i dont really need a case for it. ive dropped it a couple times and surprisingly nothing happened. the back does get scratched but im willing to live with that.
I have a case mate as wel and happy with it!
I use mercury hard gel case. I like the fact that it doesn't cover the buttons and still provides good drop and scratch protection
Sent from my Nexus S using XDA
I've used CaseMate POP case but i think it's a bad case. I don't like POP case. Now i'm using a Momax iCase & it's a great case.
Sent from my Nexus S using XDA
I have been using the Case-Mate POP case for about 6 months. It has been great protection and even some added girth for my rather large hands. I have one or two cracks, but that is from me constantly taking the phone in and out of the case to un-brick or flash or something else that would require a battery pull. The other aesthetic note is the rubber around the edge (keeps the phone in the case as well as provides a bit of grip when placed on a table face down) is a bit worn. It doesn't look terrible but its there.
Overall the case is amazing, and people who say its bad had a bad experience with it and/or broke it themselves. Afterall, these are phones and not military grade Samsung Ruby Smarts here!!!
If you want a 100% shatterproof case, wait for the Otterbox case (that was announced last year). This is a great case and has both protection (plastic) and grip (rubber) and adds a bit to the phone w/o losing its sexiness.
I got my wife to be one in pink and she loves it. She has had it about the same amount of time and the only wear hers has is some scratches from her purse (she isn't into flashing roms).
I have a case-mate pop. It's a very sturdy case. The only thing that I think people might have a problem with is that it adds a little bit of 'bulk' to the phone.
I've been using the below Case-Mate Pop for almost a year now. It basically goes everywhere in a outside coat/jacket pocket or cargo pants pocket. Been in the sun, rain, cold and snow of TGWN and keeps on ticking The SNS itself still looks new.
The case is a good firm construction that feels good in your hand and handles a drop from chest height no problem. Only downside is with the tight fit of the case in the beginning. Once broken in, say about 8 mths down the road, the power button area stretches and the corners start to show some wear. This wear and tear so to speak is mostly from taking the case off. These areas get under turned when one puts the case on so you have to flip them up once the case is seated to get the fit
Overall it's a great case for the active outdoor person who doesn't want to worry about destroying their SNS phone/computer investment. Cost $25 CDN
I highly recommend the Seidio Active X Case. I am very protective of my phone too and I feel very safe having this case.
It's very similar to the Otterbox Commuter Case series for several phones. The case doesn't cause much more bulkiness and has a very nice feel imo (to some it may be a little slick). The case covers both the volume and power button but leaves the headphone jack and usb port open for ease.
You can check out reviews on youtube.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Samsung-Goo...ccessories&hash=item4160a4db1b#ht_2866wt_1163 the best protection ive seen alltho i use platinum case the best one,i bought it on best buy 50$ but its worth it.
I got my new Otterbox Defender case from AT&T today. Only paid $42 with shipping and tax so that wasn't too bad.
I weighed it against my Seidio Active case and holster and the Otterbox with holster weighs 12.5 ounces and the Active case with holster is 10.5 ounces if anybody was interested. Removing the clear plastic protective cover from the Otterbox lightens it by 0.15 ounces or about 4 grams.
I will say this thing feels like it will take a lot of abuse before the phone will break. That is of course, unless the screen is hit by a direct impact that the case can't deflect. Remember, there is a lot of screen area so anything protruding like a rock that makes initial contact with the screen will probably break the screen. No case will stop that.
Things I don't like about the Defender whether I knew about it when ordering or not......
yeah it adds a lot of bulk but not too bad. The volume up and down buttons are not very responsive but I suspect some electrical tape on the inside of the case over the phone buttons should help with that. The power button is actually a little too responsive for my taste. It is very easy to click the power button which sucks because the volume buttons have to be pressed hard and the thumb is usually over near the power button when operating the volume buttons. This leads to easy power button pressing.
The plastic case creaks like a wooden floor in a turn of the century house. What the hell is all of this about. Whether you squeeze the case side to side or twist the phone slightly. I suspect it is the outside case rubbing against the inner hard plastic case. I will try some baby powder on that. Still, the case does not have the rigidity that I was hoping for. If you manually twist the phone case at opposite corners the thing flexes way easily.
I called myself from my home phone, walked away and left the note 2 on the counter. I did not hear any echo from either phone as others have reported. This may show up later thought. If the phones are close together then echo can be present.
The plastic protective cover that comes with the case is garbage. Plain and simple. Yes there is a gap between the plastic and the phone screen. Very annoying. I took the plastic off within a few minutes. I have my own screen protector on it anyway.
I like the charging port and headphone port being covered with the rubber plugs.
When the case is put in the holster there is little leeway where the holster snaps into the detent in the phone edge. Several times I have found that the phone had to be adjusted a bit in order for the case to snap into the holster firmly. This may be a problem down the line or I might just modify it so that this makes a positive connection more easily.
This isn't really a comparison between the Active case and the Defender but I thought I would point out a few things.
I don't like having to use the Defender holster as a kickstand for the phone. The Active case has a built in stand in the case.
I do like the protective lip around the screen of the Defender which is made up of the softer outer shell and the hard plastic inner shell. The outside is not soft and gummy like silicone (like the Active) but a little harder. Kind of like a hard rubber but not as hard as a standard hard plastic if that makes any sense. It has a good feel to it. If the Defender is laid face down the hard lip does nothing to keep it from sliding. If laid on its back it resists sliding a little better depending on the surface. It is the opposite with the Active case. The Active has the silicone lip on the face and keeps the phone from sliding around if place face down. If the Active is placed on its back it will slide because the outside part is hard plastic.
The camera has a nice cutout with a lot of plastic protruding around it. The only way this camera lens is getting damages is if something goes right into the cutout and hits the lens directly. Getting to the stylus is very easy.
Ok, I did take the outer cover off and rubbed some baby powder to the inside. The creaking noise is diminished but still there.
I will try out the otterbox for a while and see how I like it. I work in a factory so it is highly plausible that this could fall off of a 12 foot ladder onto concrete. If I worked in an office I would not be using this case most likely.
I really like the look of the Active case in red much better than the otterbox. Fortunately, I place practicality over fashion generally.
Either way, I will hang on to the case and see what happens. Considering that both of these cases have similar MSRP (prices) the value is definitely in the Otterbox as far as material and engineering. The Active case needs to have a little more engineering and firmer material around the screen. in order to ask as much money as they do.
My biggest issue with the Defender is two fold:
1) Face it, this is an UGLY utilitarian looking case hiding our sexy thin phone. They did NOTHING to add any sex appeal to this case. It's like putting a bikini model in a full length raincoat and buttoning every snap.
2) The plastic screen protector feels cheap, scratchy and provides too much drag on the s-pen.
I got my commuter a few hours ago. It's pretty nice looking, the buttons aren't too hard to press, the cutouts are perfect, and it comes with a screen protector which I choose not to use. I couldn't ask for more from it. I also feel like it's very protective and would survive a 6 ft drop (even though im 5 ft).
Sent from my SGH-T889 using xda app-developers app
Note_2 said:
I got my commuter a few hours ago. It's pretty nice looking, the buttons aren't too hard to press, the cutouts are perfect, and it comes with a screen protector which I choose not to use. I couldn't ask for more from it. I also feel like it's very protective and would survive a 6 ft drop (even though im 5 ft).
Sent from my SGH-T889 using xda app-developers app
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I haven't had the opportunity to hold the commuter series for this phone. Most of the cases for this phone need to be ordered since nobody seems to have anything in stock for this phone, around where I live, and I live in a decent sized city.
I got the commuter for $35 shipped on amazon. 3-5 day shipping, ordered Wednesday and got it earlier today even though it was expected tomorrow to friday! I tried to buy one closest to me for a decent price and the seller accessory net did great.
Sent from my SGH-T889 using xda app-developers app
I too have the creaking issue with the Defender. Mine(two of them) also creak and crackle. The plastic part that snaps together does not snap tightly thus causing some play which in turn causes the feeling that there is movement underneath and the creaking sounds. I got a replacement on the first one for this and the second one they sent also does this.
Otter customer service is great but the product right now imo is subpar
It is probably going to creak because it is suppose to flex... that is the whole point of the case absorbing impacts.
My biggest gripe about the Defender case is that dust makes it way in between the case's plastic screen protector and the phone's glass screen. It enters at the Home button mostly and at the top opening for the sensors. I have to open the case at least once a week and wipe out the dust. It's mainly fabric debris from my jeans pocket so I don't think it's anything scratchy.
honestly i hate my commuter case,its to damned fat,but when i drop my 700$ phone ,im happy, strange how that works
oddly enough, the only time I have dropped my Note 2 is when I used the otterbox Defender holster. If the phone case is pushed back and down in the holster when inserting , then the holster tab doesn't fully lock into the notch in the case. I thought I had it snapped in and it fell about 42 inches, I have a 36 inch inseam, and hit the concrete floor. Of course, this is a walk in the park for the Defender case so naturally there was no damage or marks on the case at all, and I wasn't worried about it when I picked the phone up.
My Active case has a much better spring loaded latch design so it is impossible for this to happen.
I actually got my knife out and made a little adjustment on the case notch so this won't happen again.
Love this thing. Have had it since the Otterbox Defender case fell apart after less than a half a year; there's more than 10 months of bad use on the Ballistic case, or, enough to destroy 2 Otterbox Defender cases.
In the first week i used this case i dropped the fone six times onto tile and other hard hospital floors from hospital counter height. Observation: It bounces quite well.
It was an ill coordinated week. Fone was completely unscratched from all that abuse, and has remained unscratched ever since it's been in this case. It's suffered a whole lot more abuse since then. i drop stuff. You don't want me around your best china.
It's a two piece black case. Silicone case with huge corner bumpers around the fone, then a two-layer hard shell over the silicone. Buttons are protected tho connectors are not. Doesn't come with a screen protector. i have on a nice, squidgy one, can't remember the name.
In the hand the encased fone is big and bulky with a very nice, non slippy grip that's augmented by the big corner bumper protrusions: the bumpers help a lot in fone handling. When one is holding and using it there's no thot at all that it'll ever slip out of one's hand.
So those are the upsides. Fantastic protection (except for the exposed ports), survivability and safe, ergonomic handling.
Downsides are, it's super geeky. It's not a fashion item hand crafted out of the finest rare polished hardwoods trimmed with inlaid silver accents. It's black, non-slip, lumpy in the corners like speech balloons in a comic strip, and it's styled to fit into your kit next to the remote launch control for Thunderbird 3.
The materials this case's made from are very good quality, much better than what the Otterbox Defender was made of. After a year of constant use the silicone inner case is beginning to get stretchy and gummy like they all do, but i've used it so much all the corners and all the buttons have worn shiny, and the sides of the hard outer shell as well. Since i mess with the fone a lot i crash it all the time and keep having to take the case off to remove and put back the battery, and it's survived all that ill use fine.
It's fine in sub zero winter use, past the point where the touch screen goes flakey.
The big, non-slip silicone corners does mean it'll drag a bit going in and out of the pocket. Could be maddening, but i'm fine with it since my habit is to drop it on the ground after it leaves my pocket, and that's the part where this case shows its mettle.
I've had this case a few days. It comes in two pieces, a slip on rubber type piece, and another plastic that slips over that. At first I felt it was a little loose, but I apparently wasn't fitting it completely correct. (I don't like to read instructions.) As soon as I picked my phone back up, I immediately noticed I didn't have my phone slipping in my hand anymore, felt comfortable about setting it down metal, other glass surfaces, etc. Later in the night of day one, I dropped it when I was getting out of my truck, straight into gravel. Checked the device expecting scratches, on something at least. Nothing... case didn't even have a nick. This case doesn't seem like much at all, it feels slight thin to be able to protect the device, but then in the act, it exceeded my expectations.
So overall, I would recommend this, especially if you're looking for a cheap case that isn't made in cheap ways. You get what you pay for with this, not a flimsy version of what they promised.
Style= Not 100% my taste but even in the duel red/black color combo. I still like it though.
Protection= It will take a fall, didn't want to really test that factor too much. I don't have a extra Note 5 laying around. I did accidentally drop it a few times. It didn't even damage the device or case at all.
Dislikes= The only thing I slightly don't like about the case, is once you put it on, it is very hard to find the buttons, even after you get used to it. They're super smooth. Making it feel like they're part of the case.
I'm giving this my approval. Definitely will look into their better cases in the near future.
This is the exact case I've gotten. I hope this helps anyone looking into purchasing one for their device.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B013HY3R2S?vs=1
For those of you who already own the 5, do you think with the aluminum w/ resin coating body that it still needs a case? Just wondering your thoughts.
Thanks!!
I think it doesn't strictly NEED a case.
The back is made of durable materials (i.e. not glass ?)
I still got a screen protector tho. I used my Pixel 4 without screen protector and it got scratched pretty badly when it fell on tile floor. ?
That being said, it totally depends on personal preference.
I tend to be pretty careful with my phones and I rarely drop them.
nuumuun said:
I think it doesn't strictly NEED a case.
The back is made of durable materials (i.e. not glass )
I still got a screen protector tho. I used my Pixel 4 without screen protector and it got scratched pretty badly when it fell on tile floor.
That being said, it totally depends on personal preference.
I tend to be pretty careful with my phones and I rarely drop them.
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Yeah, I agree. You don't HAVE to buy a case, but it prob is a good idea.
That sux. I guess that's better than nothing. I'm not a fan of screen protectors myself, but I know some ppl who always buy them.
That's good that you're careful with them. I am too, but even though rare, I still may drop mine here or there. lol
I went ahead and ordered one of Google's fabric cases for the 5. I've heard from a couple ppl that they feel really nice in the hand, and they can be washed in the washer too I guess.
Though choice for me this time.
I love the build and feel of the device so i actually don't want to use a case, and if i do i would really need a grippy and really slim one.
But I'm going to start with a skin to get some form of protection without changing to much.
Still debating to use a screen protector as I'm no fan of them and i believe it's not really needed with gg 5 or 6.
I also think it's fast to satisfying to touch this nice raisin coating. My last phone (huawei mate 20 pro) had both curved glass front and back, and after using it for nearly two years only with a skin and screen protector it finally fell down the day I was changing those and cracked on both sides...
Since the mate was nearly twice as expensive and less durable from day one, I think a case is only worth it if you plan on keeping the phone for several years or if you want to sell it in a prestine condition.
But at this price point I think I'll just enjoy my pixel again with just a skin and screen protector.
TL;DR:
Even the slimmest cases make the phone nearly twice as thick so they actually increase the probability of dropping it so a nice skin and screen protector should already do the job
All good points made here!
I ordered a Google fabric case for my Pixel 5. But I guess I COULD just return it if I don't feel like keeping it, and just go case-less. We shall see..................................................
I used my pixel 5 since launch without a case on, no issues at all. My bellroy leather case has arrived now, nice slim fit and soft leather back. It's really nice
A case is going to give you some cushioning if dropped. As one that drops his phone from time to time, a case is essential to me for that reason alone.